Clock striking mechanism.



N0. 664,404. Patented DOG. 25, I900. J. GUTEKUNST.

CLOCK STRIKING MECHANISM.

(Apglicltibn filed Apr. 19, 1898.)

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IIVENTO'? WI TIIESSES" Patented Dec. 25,1900.

J. GU TEKUNST. cLocK s'rmxme MECHANISM.

(Applicltiozffilod Apr. 19, 1898.)

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No. 664,404. I Patented Dec. 25, I900.

J. GUTEKUNST.

CLOCK STRIKING MECHANISM.

(Applicltion filed Apr. 19, 1898.) (In Iodol.) 3 Sheets-Shut 3.

H H w IIIIIIII I I II I I I I I I I I I IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII WITNESSES:

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB GUTEKUNST, OF AUGSBURG, GERMANY.

CLOCK STRIKITNG MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 664,404, dated fiecember 25, 1900.

Application filed April 19, 1398. Serial No. 678,182, \No od l.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACOB GUTEKUNsT, a subject of the German Emperor, residing at Augsburg, in the Empire of Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clock Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact specification.

The subject of the present invention is a quarter-strike movement with hour-repeating mechanism, which repeats the quarter at will from a certain time before the quarter. Both the hour-repeating mechanism at the quarter-strikes and the striking-train can be completely stopped, while, nevertheless, repeating remains possible by pulling a cord. This striking-work is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a front view of the striking mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a side view looking from the left. Fig. 4 is a detail showing the parts situated between the plates. Fig. 5 is a side view looking from the right. Fig. 6 is a bottom view. Figs. 7 and 8 are details. Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are further details illustrating the arrangement for securing the quarter-strike, notwithstanding previous repetition by hand.

On the center arbor a are set the quartersnail b and the hour-snail c. This arbor carries the piece d with four arms, which actuates the rack-hook Z by means of these arms. Of one piece with the quarter-snail l) or fixedly connected with same is a four-leaved pinion 6, which is intended to engage into a starwheel f, situated under the pinion c. The second star-wheel is maintained in its position by a detent g, which is pressed by a spring 9.

The hour-rack h and the quarter-rack 4' are pivoted at 70, and each of them carries an arm 77. 'i', respectively, by which the fall of the racks is limited in accordance with the position of the snails. The quarter-rack rests directly upon the periphery of the segmental end of the rack-hook Z, while the hour-rack rests upon a pin Z, extending laterally from said end. The rack-hook l is pivoted at Z and is always pressed toward the rack by means of a spring Z This hook carries at its front side a pin Z and at its back two pins m and 017. which render the full stroke of the last quarter and of the hour possible in the manner described hereinafter. Between the rack-hook and the snail a lever is arranged pivoted at n and having three arms 01 n n. The arm n rests upon a pin or, and the arm itself carries a pin a, which effects the release of the arrested houurack, when repeating takes place, as will be hereinafter described. The arm n reaches as far as the rack-hook and acts upon it for bringing about repeating by hand, while a cord is attached on the arm a which cord is adapted to be pulled to actuate the mechanism to produce the repetition. On the arm n of said threearmed lever a second lever is pivoted at 0, having three arms 0 0 0 which is actuated by means of the arm 0, being operated upon by an arm of the piece d, and so influences the rack-hook. A spring 0 tends to hold this lever in normal position by pressing on the arm 0 The arm 0 carries an angle-lever having arms p 11 pivoted at p. The shape of the arms of this angle-lever is shown in Fig. 1. The arm 19 of this angle-lever possesses a nose which acts in conjunction with the pin l carried by the rack-hook, while the arm 19 is actuated by the gathering pallet or tumbler.

The gathering pallet or tumbler is arranged on the tumbler-arbor q and carries two pins or noses q and g diametrically arranged, which are in the position shown in Fig. 1 when the striking-work is arrested, each of which lifts one of the racks h t'. In this lifting operation the forward pin q actuates simultaneously the arm 19 before mentioned, while the rear pin (1 which lifts the quarterrack, actuates also the arm m to be described.

In order to prevent hour-repeating in the first, second, and third quarters, a lever having two arms 1'' r pivoted at r, is provided, the arm r thereof having a hook-shaped end. The hour-rack h is extended past its pivot and carries at the extremity of this extension 71 a pin 7L3, adapted to be engaged by the book of the arm r to hold the rack h and prevent its falling. In order to repeat the hours at the stroke of the fourth quarter, this connection is broken by lifting the arm 1' automatically by the pins f of the star-wheel f. This connection can also be broken when a repeat of the hour is desired, which is obtained by pulling the cord before mentioned,

which will tilt the lever pivoted at n and bring the pin a of the arm n into engagement with said arm 4' and lift the same. A spring r is provided, which tends to press the arm r toward the pin 71 A pivoted piece 3 makes it possible to throw the lever having arms r r out of operation, Fig. l, by means of a pin carried by said piece engaging with the arm 1*, so that the hours are repeated at every quarter. A pivoted piece 3 throws out the whole striking mechanism by engaging with and raising the arm p, before mentioned, out of the reach of the pin l of the rack-hook Z. The rack-hook l is fixed to the harbor P, which also has an arm having forked members If t fixed thereto. This arm is arranged between the plates and is for the purpose of throwing out the hammers which are inactive. Both members If t of this arm carry a pin 6 1, of which the one i lifts the hour-hammer and the other, i the quarter-hammers (according to the position of the snail) out of reach of the pins to, which actuate same, said pins being carried by one of the intermediate wheels 10', which is geared to the fly 1;.

The hammers are attached behind the second plate and are secured to the arbors w w 10 Byturning these arbors by means of the arms 50 :20 00 fixed to the same, which are operated by the slide-bars p 1 1 when pushed by the pins to, the hammers are lifted. The slide-bars rest on a bolt 25. The quarter-hammers have toes 2', upon which the pin t acts.

The action of the striking-workis as follows: As the center arbor a turns, the piece (1, fixed thereon, turns also, bringing one of its arms into engagement with the arm 0 of the lever pivoted at 0. This arm is pressed down, tilting the lever and moving the arm 0 toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 1. The angle-lever, having the arms 19 19 which is carried on this arm, is pulled back until the nose of the arm 13 reaches a position behind the pin Z, fixed to the rack-hook l. As soon as the arm of the piece 61 slides off of the arm 0 the spring 0 presses the latter arm, and consequently the arms 0 0 back to normal position, the arm 19' in its return movement lifting or turning the rack-hook, thus permitting the racks 7b and II to fall. The fall of the same is limited by the arms 7t and 11 engaging the snails b and o. By this lifting of the rackhook Z the arbor P has also been turned, and with the same the forked arm having the members 2i 6*, and the end of said member 15 moved out of the reach of the fly o. The pinion for the striking-train has been released and the gathering pins arbor q is turned. As soon as the gathering-pallet begins to move the pin q pushes the arm 19 aside, whereby the hook of arm p is lifted out of engagement with the pin Z and the rack-hook Z, owing to the spring Z falls back until arrested by its forward end striking the quarterrack 71. The gathering-pallet lifts the quarterrack by the aid of the pin and the quarterrack is held in a raised position by the extre m i ty of the rack-hook. After the last quarter strikes, the rack-hook Z falls forward until the pin Z of the same is stopped by the hourrack.

In order that the quarter-hammers may still be lifted after the lifting of the rack for the last stroke, the rack-hook is temporarily arrested, thus arresting the arms t R, which move with said rack-hook, by arm m, which falls into the path of the pin m, fixed to said rack-hook. The continued movement of the arbor (1 brings the pin (1 into engagement with and lifts out the arm m from engagement with pin m, and the rack-hook falls into the position shown. Now as pin q of the gathering pallet or tumbler lifts the hour-rack step by step it is held against returning by the bolt or pin Z until the said rack is completely lifted also, in which operation the arm m, in combination with the pin m renders the lifting of the hammer for the last stroke possible when this last stroke is due to fall.

It will be understood that the hour-rack is lifted directly during the lifting of the quarter-raok one step each time the pin q engages a tooth thereof; but having no support it drops back again as soon as the pin q releases the same. During this time the member 6 of the forked arm holds the bary for operating the hour-hammer raised and therefore out of the path of the pin a. After the last stroke the rack-hook falls into its normal position, and the member t of the forked arm engages the fly-wheel and arrests the same, thus stopping the striking mechanism. During this time the lever having the three arms n n a has remained at rest, having been held against its snpp0rting-pin n" by means of the spring 0 as the foregoing, described as the ordinary strike.

In order to detach the striking mechanism, the arm 13 of the angle-leverp p is raised by means of the pin on the piece 8, whereby this arm is moved out of the line of movement of the pin Z of the rack-hook, and the latter will not, therefore, be lifted on the depression of the arm 0' by the arm of the piece d, and the striking-train cannot, therefore, opcrate.

As will be seen from the foregoing, no ratchet-detent takes place in the present striking-work. In order to obtain as correct a time as possible in the repeating operation, it is necessary to arrange the striking inechanism in such a manner that the full succeeding quarter be repeated five minutes before it is due on the termination of the quarter last struck.

In order that the quarter-rack may not rest between two steps or grades of the snail, or half on one step and half on the other, or when the termination of one quarter and the beginning of the succeeding quarter is reached, the transition of one quarter to the other, which is ordinarily situated in the ratchet-detent, is achieved suddenly. For this purpose the quarter-snail Z) is loosely set on the center arbor. On the back of the same is a fourpart pinion-wheel e, which engages with its rounded parts into the eight-spoked starwheel f. The latter is held by a springpressed detent g. On the snail, between two arms of the piece (1, is a pin 6, controlled by these arms. When the center arbor a is turned, the piece (1, which actuates the arm 0', turns with the arbor. As soon as this piece 65 reaches the pin 6 it carries along the snail b and the four-part star e, fixedly connected therewith, Through this star-wheel c the eight-spoked star-wheel is turned and the roller-detent g is pressed back against the tension of its spring. As soon as this wheel has turned sufliciently to bring more than half of thepoint of one ray or spoke thereof moved by starts orjerks, as the steps or grades of the snail come over the point on which the quarter-rack arm 7 falls. This start, jolt, or jerk takes place five minutes before every succeeding quarter and takes the place of a warning or ratchet detent.

As aforesaid, the hook or arm r holds fast the hour-rack at the appropriate position of the part 3, so that this hour-rack cannot fall,

- and accordingly the hours cannot be repeated.

In order to repeat, nevertheless, the hours at the last quarter, it is necessary to release this stop. For this purpose two pins f are provided on the star-wheelf, which accomplishes one revolution every two hours, which pins press against a nose or lifter of the arm r and lift it so far that in the release of the striking-train the hook r has been pushed aside by the pin 71/3. The spring r restores the engagement of the hook with the pin 7L3 before expiration of the next quarter. This is the ordinary strike, as before described.

In order to make the striking mechanism repeat at any time, the cord attached on the arm n of the lever pivoted at n is pulled. Thereby the rack-hook Z is lifted by the arm 72 so that the racks can fall and the fly is liberated. At the same time the pin a of the arm n lifts the arm r of the lever pivoted at 4", which tilts the arm 7* and releases the hour-rack, so that both the quarters and the hour are struck in repeating. In this operation, when the striking-train has been released about five minutes before the quarter terminates, this quarter will not be again repeated at its completion and the release by hand moves the lever having the arms 12 n n to the right, carrying the lever having the arms 0 0 0 therewith, and the arm 0 is disengaged from d; but as the spring 0 sets the arm 0 horizontally, it remains out of gear when it returns after the repeat, and the arm d should press thereon and tilt the same to release the quarter. In this Way it might occur that the clock would not strike automatically during more that twenty minutes. To

avoid this and to insure striking of all quarters independently without the repeating effecting the same, the arrangement shown inFigs. 9 and 11 is provided. Inv this arrangement the two three-armed levers are mounted on a common pivot. In addition the arm 19 is provided with an angular extension p the horizontal arm of which has an acute-angled notch. A pin a on an arm a pivoting around a engages with this notch, and in this operation this arm is brought to its normal position by a spring a. When the arm 0 is pressed down by an arm of the piece (1, the nose of the extension 19 will engage with the pin a simultaneously with the engagement of the nose of the arm 10', into the pin Z of the rack-hook Z. When the striking mechanism is released by hand,.the angle-lever having the armsp' p is prevented from moving around with the lever having the arms 92, m and n by the pin (1 sothat the arm 0 is not disengaged from the arm of the piece (1. Thereby the operation of the arm 0' by the arm of .the piece d at the completion of the quarter, and hence the automatic striking, is assured. The pin-wheel it, which carries these pins u, is one of thetransmission-wheels of the gearing arrangement of the striking mechanism to the fly. The

pin it presses against the sliding bars when they are in the path of the same and resting upon the bolt or pin 25, and the arbors w ww which support the hammers, are thus turned as the sliding bars are moved by means of the arms 50 m 00 so that the hammers are lifted for the strike.

I claim as my invention 1. In combination, the hands-arbor, the hour and quarter-hour snails fixed thereto, the hour and quarter counter-racks, the pivoted supports for said racks, the fly-wheel, the hammer, and hammeroperating bars with means for operating the same, means for shifting said bars to prevent the operation to actuate the hammer and for arresting said fly-wheel, and a pivoted lever operated from said arbor and a lever carried thereby adapted to engage said support to remove the same from said racks and to release said fly-wheel and to shift said bars, substantially as described.

2. In combination, the arbor, the quarterhour and hour snails fixed thereto, the counterracks, the supports therefor the hammers, the means for operating the same controlled by said counters, means for removing said supports at the quarter-strike, a supplemental support for said hour count-rack alone and means for automatically removing the same for the hour-strike, substantially as described.

3. In combination, the arbor, the quarter and hour snails, the counter-racks, the supports therefor the hammers, with means for operating the same controlled by said countracks, means for removing said support at the quarter-hour strike, a supplemental sup- IIO port for the hour-rack comprising a pivoted lever having one arm projecting into proximity to said arbor and means for tilting the same to release said hour-rack, substantially as described.

4. In combination, the quarter-hour and hour snails, the arbor carrying the same, the count-racks, the supports therefor, the hamvmers with means for operating the same controlled by said racks, the extension from said hour-rack, the pivoted lever having one arm engaging therewith to support said rack alone I arm from said extension, substantially as described.

6. In combination, the quarter-hour and hour snails, the arbor carrying the same, the count-racks, the supports therefor, the hammers with means for operating the same controlled by said racks, the extension from said hour-rack, the pivoted lever having one arm engaging therewith to support said rack and means manually operated for tilting a second arm of said lever to release the first arm from said extension, substantially as described.

7. In combination, the hour and quarterhour snails, the arbor carrying the same, the count-racks, the pivoted support therefor,the hammer and sliding arms for actuating the same, the fly-wheel, the forked arm fixed to the racks support arbor, the member of said fork being adapted to control said sliding arms and said fly-wheel, a lever having one of its arms extending into proximity to the snailarbor, and means carried by said arbor adapted to tilt said arm and a second lever carried by a second arm of the first lever adapted to engage said support to remove the same from said racks and release said fly-Wheel and position said sliding bars, substantially as described.

8. In combination, the hour and quarterhour snails, the support common to the same, the hour-rack the independent support for the hour-rack, the hammer with means for operating the same controlled by said racks and the lever adapted to be tilted manually said lever having one arm adapted to press the common support to move the same from beneath said racks, and asecond arm adapted to release said independent support for the hour-rack, substantially as described.

9. In combination, the hour and quarter hour snails, the count-racks, the supports therefor, the hammer with means for operat=- ing the same controlled by said racks, the

pivoted lever for removing the supports from said racks, and the means independent of said pivoted lever for throwing said supporting removing means out of operation, substantially as described.

10. In combination, the hour and quarterhour snails, the count-racks, the supports therefor, the hammers with means for operating the same, the independent hour-raok support, means for normally holding the same in engagement, means for detaching the same automatically and the means for throwing the same out of operation, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

JACOB GUTEKUNST.

Witnesses:

JACOB JOSEPH STEINER, K. DREXLER. 

